She could do it. She knew she could do it, Rio was beneath her. She was safe, she was a dragon. However, the closer she got the more seemed to appear. "I'm changing back." Then she was flying toward the earth before landing on Rio's back and wheezing. "Fuck."

"Pick a power, princess. They're coming."

Vyshena was on the opposite side of the group. Lighing their surroundings in a fire where she knew most venin sat. Everything was deaf to her ears. The commands of her squad, Violet screaming, Xaden screaming, or Fyda calling out for her mother.

Rio had moved to fly toward the group, seeing wyvern and dragon dancing in the sky. One had its talons latched onto Fierge, as Rhiannon did her best to get them unlatched.

Xaden was alongside Garrick, some of her team had been on the ground ushering people to safety. Violet was throwing lightning bults around erratically, not being able to hit a target.

Vyshena scanned around her, "behind you, Princess." Vyshena quickly turned, seeing the venin with bright blonde hair stare at her with wide eyes. "You," she hummed while Vyshena stood up. Violet watched from the back of Tairn, seeing Vyshena steady herself as the venin walked closer to her.

"Eon, Fyda, your mother, now!" Xaden screamed as both the girls found their mother. "Dibs," Eon said as she flew towards them. Violet gasped as Fyda grabbed ahold of the venin's wyvern and ripped its neck out, then Eon, who had swooped over the side of Rio, and clamped her jaws around the venin, falling off the other side while Violet saw pieces of it fall from her mouth.

Vyshena cried, looking over Rio as she saw Fyda wrestle the wyvern until its neck cracked and she dropped it. Violet had tears in her eyes at the urgency Vyshena had to get off of Rio. She scrambled to her feet and jumped, as Fyda had shot into the air.

Violet gasped when they made contact, and the winds around them shifted. Deigh had butted into the side of a wyvern, somehow knocking Liam off his back. Violet screamed his name, and Fyda had rolled her body forward, flying upside down in the opposite direction. Vyshena stayed on the entire time.

Vyshena let out a breath once he landed on top of the black dragon. Breathing heavily as he held his hand to his chest. "We need to go back!" Violet heard as she held onto Liam tightly.

Fyda ripped into the back of the wyvern that had ahold of Deigh. Talons lodged in his chest and his neck was bleeding. Vyshena climbed from the top of Fyda's head and jumped onto the wyvern. Drawing her blade she had and quickly sliced along the main artery on its neck, but not before Deigh let out an ear piercing scream before Vyshena felt his neck snap.

The wyvern let him go, and Vyshena watched as Deigh had plummeted. "Xaden, no, no, no." Vyshena cried as she grabbed ahold of Fyda before the wyvern fell dead. "No, Liam! Where's Liam!" Vyshena cleared her throat, then her stomach started to cramp. Her fingers felt numb and her toes were cold. She couldn't breathe, and vomit rose up her throat. Her head was pounding so hard she couldn't think. Then, Eon let out the song of mourning, and Vyshena looked back to what Rio was guarding.

Fyda had tucked her wings as she dove toward the Elder, hitting the ground with such force a crater formed. "Where is he?" Vyshena sobbed as she pushed her way through and saw Violet holding Liam. "Eon!" Vyshena screamed through the bond as she watched her golden child dive too close and stumble through Rio's wings on her feet.

Violet was pulled away from Liam as Eon stopped walking. Halfway to him, and the other part of her soul was gone. "No, no, mother." Eon hiccuped as she shook her head. Xaden walked in as Fyda followed quickly, tucked behind him while he dropped his head once seeing Liam. Eon sprinted, then dropped to her knees as she gripped Liam's face. "Wake up." She told him, shouting his name.

He hummed, "Liam?" Eon asked while tilting her head down. His eyes fluttered open lazily, and he had a smile on his lips. "Baby," he cooed while Eon shook her head. "I will fix this. I promise, you-"

"I am okay." Liam forced out and Vyshena dropped to her knees beside him. "I can." She said, grabbing onto his hand. Violet widened her eyes when Fyda walked over and sat next to her twin. Then Xaden, who dropped slowly to his knees and rested a hand on Liam's thigh. "Brother, we're here." Xaden told Liam while leaning forward and placing a hand to his chest. "My family." Liam said brokenly.

"Liam, I can. Please." Vyshena said while she cried and he rose his brows gently. "He says no." Eon bawled while Fyda wrapped her arms around her sisters shoulders. "I love you." Eon told him in a gasp, moving to sit on her knees as she grabbed his face. "I love you, Liam." She said, staring in his eyes while his lips puckered out gently and Eon smiled.

She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips while Vyshena felt his body relax. Eon set her forehead onto Liam's. And as he passed, Eon had screamed, and screamed, and screamed. She thrashed in pain and begged god to take her. She asked her sister, to rip out her heart. Her mother to end her suffering, "father, please do something!" Xaden flinched while Violet sucked in a gasp.

Garrick cried silently. This was not his business, not his life. He understood he was unworthy enough to watch this, to be apart of this. "There is nothing to be done, sister." Fyda said, her body thrashing along with Eon's. "He is gone. There is nothing to be done. Deigh died, there's nothing that could be done." Fyda said, lied. Hoping her sister was hysterical enough to not know the truth. "Please, I beg." She hiccuped, all her words sounding guttural.

"He's gone. He's dead. I will never see him again until I get to the afterlife. I will be in pain," she sucked in a breath. "In pain for the rest of my eternal life, until I am reunited with him. Please, mother." She begged, slowly shutting her swollen eyes. "There is no world with out him. The world in which he does not exist is where I do not belong." Violet covered her hand over her mouth at the begging of mercy, the absolute adoration for Liam that will forever now be a memory for her.

Vyshena hasn't left Liam's side, but Xaden squatted in front of the twins and held Eon's jaw. "Relax," he said and she took in a deep breath. "This will pass." He assured with wide eyes, nodding his head slowly. "Sloane will be here by next year. You will see her. Your mother is here, Bodhi is here. You are strong, get ahold of this feeling and take control of it." Xaden said, and Eon nodded.

"Use it, Eon. Don't let it go to waste." Fyda loosened her grip on her sister when she relaxed against her chest. The light purple gown washing her out, making her look more pale than what she already is. "We have an audience who now knows what you two are. You need to remain on your best behavior." Xaden looked at the two girls. Fyda who nodded, and Eon who continued her hysteria silently.

Xaden stood up, turning to Vyshena who had her eyes shut but her lips were moving silently. He saw Violet sat with her eyes wide, wondering what was happening. Garrick and Bodhi by the trees. He waved his hand over and they both stood up, walking over to him.

"You all saw what happened?" Xaden asked and everyone nodded their head. "A gryphon had ahold of Deigh, which resulted in Liam's death." Xaden felt nauseas. "That is exactly what happened. You did not see the twins, you did not see them fighting, did not see them here. You report nothing about what Eon has said, or what Fyda has said. It is detrimental that you keep that to yourself." Xaden told the group.

"And if we don't?" A person of his squad asked, "honestly just curious. I swear, I will never say a word."

"War will happen because they will come for Eon and Fyda. You haven't met Scá yet, and I pray none of you ever will." Garrick sighed. "Vyshena is Scá?" He asked while Garrick slowly shut his eyes. "You remember?" Xaden asked with a furrow to his brows.

"When letters were found about Scá's transformation, body demographics, and progress in History?" Garrick asked, "the entire world was up in flame about a dragon not being reported. Xaden, her kill count was on there. How hot her flames are. How much her jaw can break through. Everyone is aware of all of that information."

He nodded slowly. "Well," sighing. "Vyshena is Scá. So, there's that. Um-"

"Father," Fyda's voice turned worrisome. Violet saw how quickly Xaden turned. And how Vyshena leaped over Liam's body and grabbed ahold of her child whose body started to seize. "She's too warm." Ridoc cleared his throat while Xaden turned. "Please." He nodded while quickly walking over to the two girls.

He met eyes with Fyda, whose lids were hooded and she had a glare on her face. She had light freckles scattered over her nose and cheeks. Her eyes a vibrant purple, a shade lighter than Vyshena's. Her white hair stuck to her forehead, and arms held tight on her sister. "You hurt her," Fyda spoke lowly while Ridoc nodded his head. "I understand, Fyda." Ridoc whispered and her face fell at her name. Ridoc was surprised as well he got it right.

Her body instantly cooled when Ridoc placed his trembling hands on Eon's thrashing body. Her cries turned into a whimper, and Ridoc let out a breath he was holding and fell onto his bottom. "She's fine. She just needed to cool down, thank you, Ridoc." Vyshena said while Fyda pushed her sister off of her and stood up. Brushing her hands over her arms. She hated the cold, hated being in the cold. She was a dragon, so why was she always so cold?

Xaden kneeled down, "what do we do?" He asked Vyshena who chuckled out a laugh. "Bring Liam's body back. Take care of Deigh. Get the girls back home." Xaden knew that would be the hardest one. "How did they find out?" Fyda continued pacing, eyes shooting in front of her and to Liam's body as she talked to herself quietly. "I'm not sure. When they were close enough, Fyda got my attention." Vyshena nodded.

"They all know." Vyshena sighed and rubbed her hand over her head, tears still streaming down her face. "They all know." She nodded, a quick sob leaving her throat. "Cool, cool... Scá?" She asked, her brows raising. "They are aware." She laughed again, groaning while her body hiccuped. "Okay, great. Uh," nodding her head while she stood up and pulled her hair back.

"Eon needs to rest. She'll be down for a couple days. We can get her on Fyda's back but there's no guarantee she'll roll off and Fyda won't notice." Xaden nodded. "I'll call Marbh." Vyshena kept her eyes wide but nodded. "I'll take Liam with me. You guys can go back." She said while looking to Eon and holding her hand to her heart.

"Why? What're you doing?" Ridoc asked as he stood. "I need to take care of Deigh and it will take long. It's not your responsibility." Ridoc looked at Garrick. "We can help." Xaden looked at his feet. "Its the burning of the bodies." Dain furrowed his brows. "Dragons can't be burned." He said, "no, but my fire is hot enough." She spoke while nodding her head once.

She found Fyda pacing back and forth, her eyes still on Liam. "Fyda will burn them and Eon is not fully unconscious so she will feel it. I don't want you guys,"

"You are family, Vyshena." Ridoc interrupted. "We're here for you. We can help, we want to help. Liam was our friend, too." He had to remind Vyshena while her face fell and she nodded. "I need you to go calm her down. I'll put Eon with Rio and Sgaeyl."

"Tairn is with them." Xaden said, "I don't care."

She walked over to Eon while Garrick took a step forward. "Can I go with you?" He asked, and Vyshena nodded. "Carry her, please."

"Xaden." Vyshena called while he slowly nodded his head. Understanding something that wasn't voiced aloud. Garrick held Eon close to his chest as he followed Vyshena through the woods.

"We go back to Alithia." Xaden told Bodhi, while Violet overheard it. "You sure?" Bodhi asked, seeing Fyda continue her pacing. "You think we can go back to the school right now? No. We're going to go back and be welcomed with death. We need a plan."





an :)